You may be right. What if they cost the same? I got more cymbal bleed from the DM20 than from the 98AMP. It is hard to observe that when doing single drum comparisions since you are never hitting just a single drum during a performance.
As someone with decades of recording experience, I see the Earthworks' as studio recording mics and the Shure's as live mics. The overly hyped low end, I found to be right in that woofy 100-150hz range, which tends to get cut any way--especially when recording in smaller rooms like yours. I would find myself having to do a lot of work to clean up the Shure's in a mix. However, in a live situation they would already sound full and have a lot of attack. It is interesting to note that the Shure's hyped sound was most noticeable on the full mix--which is a good indicator that isolated mic comparisons only tell part of the story. Unlike the Earthworks' mics, the Shure's colored the entire kit, and I found they also had a slightly harsh upper midrange in the cymbals, where the Earthworks' were much smoother. Looking at the frequency charts, I can see why! Its also important to note that he Shure's have quite a bit higher self noise that most other SDCs... something that can matter a lot in a studio environment, but not as much live. I think its kinda funny when viewers favor the pre-eq'd thing so much. Inexperienced ears invariably tend to favor louder, hyped sounds... and there is a place for that sometimes. But these days, I much prefer a flatter more accurate response. Its SO much easier to work with. I see no difference in build quality, I have Shure mics that are over 40 years old and still look new. Shure builds very tough and very good mics. These would be excellent for live touring drummers.
I TOTALLY agree with everything you’ve said here. I’ve played using the Sure Betas for a LONG time (as long as they’ve been in production) Yeah I’m old)) in live situations and really love the solid build and years of service they produce consistently as well as the sound they produce without EQ (which means that even if the guy on the sound board isn’t top notch, I’ll probably get a good sound. However, for the studio (which I’m setting up right now, and I’ll be the guy doing the mixing) those EW’s really shine for clarity and true neutral sound. BOTH are great mics and I already have the Betas it may be time go get a set of the EW’s
As much as I love the DM20s, I have to say in this shootout the Beta 98s blow them away. The bottom end punch and high end attack is just more mix ready.
I agree. The first video I saw was the DM20 VS the SM57, and I was all about the DM20 in that, but this is about half as much again or more, better over the DM20, than the DM20 was over the SM57. Plus it's quite a bit less per microphone. I'm sold on the Beta98 now. Very impressive.
Years ago, the Earthworks began showing up on so many different drum set RU-vid videos - how to and instructional videos, etc. Yet, there were no direct comparison videos between the Earthworks and Shure Beta 98 mics. I always thought that was suspicious! Thank you Bob Irving for bringing clarity to this matter. I'll stay with the Shure Beta 98.
The Shure seemed to have snappier transients, but not necessarily in a good way. Also most too snappy. The Earthworks certainly made the hi-hat and other cymbal bleed sound less abrasive, and had overall a warmer sound for the snare. On toms, I suppose it could be a toss up for me, depends on the situation. Great video!
Great compare. The BETA 98 (like you said) does sound pre EQd -- in the lows and the upper midrange to my ears. The DM20 is more neutral and even,..especially the topend. BTW -- you have a new sub.
Very usefull comparison vid again. The Beta has got more bass. Best heard with the single tom strikes and the sustain. The Earthworks makes the deep curve flatter, to my ears that’s the same as ‘thinner’. More compressed, but with loss of lows. Basically what the narrator says, but the clarity he talks about concerning the Earthworks (again: to my ears) goes hand in hand with less depth. I’d take the Sure, the price difference, size and the versatility of the clip holder rim & mic pole (which in most cases means drum stand mount as well) are all in favor of the Sure.
A drummer fiend of mine brought over his new Earthworks mic kit and it was very satisfying. The Shures have a bit more polish hype PRE-EQ'd vibe ...I wouldn't mind either. . I like saving a little money on the Shure though
I just love the 98 amp. I love it even over the Md421 on bigger drums like floors. To me the earthworks are not worth the extra money. I use them on toms and side snares and sometimes snare bottom duty. The clamp is better (but also uglier) on the earthworks though.
I don´t do YT videos, I am not a video guy. But last week I bought 1 DPA 4099 Core and 1 Shure Beta 98 amp/c to compare them with my DM20. I had too much trouble with my 6 DM20s during the last 2 years and now I want to get rid of them and I am looking for an alternative now. I can share my experience with all 3 of them. DM20: + great sound + low self noise level + solid metal (can take some hits with a stick) - bad electronics (3 of mine had electrical faults and damages and 1 gave me a strong electrical strike after touching) - bad quality (5 out of 6 mics had big problems, fails and damages) - too much cymbal bleed - bad rim mount (very hard to put on TAMA die cast hoops, metal on metal not a good idea aswell) - too heavy in weight - very bad to no shock absorption (metal mount with no rubber or protection on top, metal touches metal hoops directly, not a great idea) - goose neck is way too stiff and not flexibel enough - too expensive for it´s bad built quality Artists who use the DM20 on toms: Drumeo in their own studio and all those famous artists during those Drumeo Videos (Drumeos great sound convinced me to buy the DM20s). Many famous and great RU-vid drummers and Drum Center of Portsmouth for all their YT videos. RU-vidr "rdavidr". Adam Tuminaro (Orlando Drummer). Kristina Schiano and many more RU-vidrs. DPA 4099 Core: + very small and very stealthy + less cymbal bleed (best of all 3 mics) + low self noise level + best rim mount which I ever had (very light weight, extremely great and easy positioning and very sturdy) + very light weight + great shock absorption due to the great rim mount + great and flexible goose neck with easy positioning + sound is good but a bit muddy and not as good and punchy as a DM20 or a Beta 98 (needs more EQ adjustments) - very expensive - I guess it will break when hit with a stick by accident Artists who use DPA 4099 Core on their toms: Nicko McBrain on the Iron Maiden Live concerts. Lars Ulrich during Metallica concerts. Sometimes Dennis Chambers and the YT drummer girl Meytall Cohen. Beta 98 amp/c: + great sound out of the box (very punchy and nice sound, especially on my floor toms) + less cymbal bleed than the DM20 but a bit more than the DPA 4099 + much smaller and lighter than the DM20s, which I like + great built quality + durable, can take a stick hit + good rim mount + great and flexible goose neck + great price and best bang for buck - self noise level is the highest of all 3 mics. Artist who uses Beta 98 amp/c on toms: Joel Stevenett and Mike Mangini during all Dream Theater concerts and even on the album recordings in the studio (he told that in an interview). Why do I sell now all my DM20s? I bought SIX of them 2 years ago. When they arrived 3 were completely dead out of the box, no signal at all. What kind of sloppy quality check does Earthworks do? Last week another DM20 started suddenly to create every a very loud sound by itself every 2 seconds. It sounded like somebody is tapping on the mic for a signal check and it did not stop. When I touched the mic I got hit by a strong electrical strike. Then 2 days later another DM20 started to create rattling noise inside the mic always when I hit my 12" tom. When I bent the goose neck to the side, the noise went away, bending the goose neck straight again, it rattled. I did an RMA with the 2 trouble makers recently. In the future I will use the DPA 4099 on my 3 rack toms and the Beta 98 amp/c on both of my floor toms. I am not an Earthworks fan anymore.
@@mrsayang Amazing description there, thank you for taking the time to write this, I read it all. Very shocked (no pun intended) to hear about the Earthworks quality!
@@jobelewis6416 welcome, I wrote an answer and it gets deleted all the time. Yesterday, after a short research I found 2 more DM20 users with broken mics. One guy reported that his DM20 stopped working after 1 day of usage and another guy reported that all his 4 DM20s did not provide any signal anymore after 1 month of usage. I wrote an email to Earthworks, sharing my trouble and bad experience and did not get any answer or reaction. I am done with them. From now on I spend my money with other mic manufacturers.
These microphones are electret microphones. One of the simplest and easier designs for companies to make. Shure and earthworks both develope electret capsules in house that are not available to the mainstream market. In reality these mics cost about 30$ per mic to manufacture. Now what I will say is that they basically are the exact same technology. I've made mics like this at home for a while now and it's a little disappointing to know earthworks is taking advantage of people not knowing basic electronics. I have spoken with alot of the lead developers at shure and for the money I always go with shure. They spend hours trying to destroy their creations to make sure they hold up over time. And personally I'd rather go with the company building great sounding tanks over earthworks smoke and mirrors. Hopefully this is helpful to whoever needs it. I've been an audio engineer for 12 years and have worked on the retail side with alot of these companies and am currently doing live sound. Remember it's not the price Tag its the sound source.
You are THE man! You are correct mate. I am done with Earthworks crap. I bought 6 DM20s. At delivery 3 were NOT working out of the box, they were literally dead. Today, after 2 years my 4th DM20 quit to work. The inside electronic seems to be cheap and shitty crap. I will sell my working DM20s now.
Awesome video bro! Your breakdown was super accurate...I got way more clarity out of the EW mics, better attack in particluar, but with more cymbal bleed. The Shure mics have more body and character with less bleed, and are DEFINITELY my preference. Give me body and low end all day and I can always eq highs in post-recording. Thank you again for this content, definitely no other vids out there like it.
I'd mic the floor tom with the Beta 98 and the snare and rack toms with the DM20. The DM20 has higher resolution at those freqs but the 98 has a better bass response. Unless a producer wants a more linear bass recording and control the punch in post. If I could only have one of the two it would be the Earthworks DM20.
Wow...this wasn't even close. the Beta 98 was the superior mic in all of the test. Just clearer. You could hear thru to the bottom head. Just a beautiful sound. I'm sold. The DM20 was surprisingly dull in comparison. I like flat mics but I don't like lifeless.
I personally think the shure gives you a better sound of the actual floor tom and its resonance while the E.W gives you more of just the drum stick hitting the drumhead
The 98 to me has a little more focus on the transient where it's very pronounced and punchy while the dm20 has a more extended high end. Personally, knowing my mixing, a 98 with an exciter would be better than a dm20 with an eq band trying to find the attack.
Great comparison video. I'm considering one of these specifically as a snare mic, and would like to know your thoughts on the dedicated rim mounts, ie, ease of use, fitting both triple flanged, and die cast hoops, etc. Cheers.
I had both of these for awhile and the DM20s had a more pronounced transient, but had MUCH nastier cymbal bleed, and sounded a lot thinner than the Beta 98s. And the clips on the 98 are just better in every way. The DM20s are a more natural, uncolored sound, which is definitely not what I want. Thats also the reason why so many drum shops use DM20s, is so you can hear the uncolored sound of the drums that they're demo-ing
For almost $100 cheaper on each mic and less headache of EQing- I'll go with the Shure Beta 98's!!! I still love the Shure SM81 for hi-hat and overheads too.
The Beta 52 would be great in a situation where there's not much time for mixing, they sound really nice out of the box with the eq they put on it, but the Earthworks I feel like it's better at capturing the nuances and details and would be better in a studio situation where you can tinker with the sound since they're so flat. Both great mics but I believe they serve different purposes. Also I think the build quality on the Earthworks is better, and would probably last longer.
I own the Betas. I am having such an issue with bleed and more attack but not much else. Do you have suggestions for mic placement (how far off head/over the drum/ pointed at the center or more towards rim).
This might be covered in the video, which i will watch - but is there anything similar which is good for bass drum beater? I need to find something to pick up the click, reject other stuff (the snare) and not get in the way of the drummer. I hear steve albini uses lavalier mics so was thinking something like this might be perfect
You can use any mic, even an SM57 positioned on the drummer's side of the kit and pointed toward the beater to pick up the attack and click you're looking for. There's also mics like the Shure BETA 91A which might give you that sound if you just throw it inside the bass drum. Thanks for watching!
@@bobdrums yeh 57 sounds good but is a pain for me to position for the drummer, and a waste of a tom mic. I actually ordered a lavalier mic earlier, akg 417. Taking a gamble as it might be useless, we will see!
@@LochNessAnthony it was ok but it picked up so much of everything else (mainly snare underside), i cant remember if we ended up using it in the final mix. I think it was success? Ish?🤣
I have the DM20s for all my 5 toms and when I purchased them brand new, 3 of them were completely dead when they arrived. I had to exchange them, I was really annoyed about it. Second I hate the mounting of the DM20s, they are really hard to clip onto the die cast hoops of my TAMA Starclassic and they are really not flexibel enough for positioning. For the price point that is a real downside. But I must admit that they really sound great, so I kept them. For 3 toms I bought the SHURE A75M mount which is much much better and more flexibel. Hearing the sound samples here.......I would nowadays buy the Shure BETA 98´s, they are great, have a much better mounting clamp and are way cheaper, better bang for buck. Or if you have the money go and check out the danish DPA 4099 Core Drum mics.
@@mrsayang I agree the mount is terrible. No flexibility at all. I was forced to mount the mic from the bottom hoop due to all the restrictions. Thanks for the info. I will try to get the Shure A75M mount.
Hi! I have Dm20 mics, but I don't like the mic holder, does DM20 go to the shure holder? Doesn't the shure come with an additional bigger mic clamp or is it only is you buy it separately.
I have the DM20s too and I have the same opinion. I hate the mic mount. I bought the SHURE A75M mount and they work much better, they fit. I want to sell my 6 DM20s now, because today my 4th DM20 got broken.....technically broken. Now I have 4 damaged DM20s out of 6, the electrical inside built quality seems to be crap. I am done with Earthworks now, fed up. I am looking for new options now....maybe DPA 4099 or Beta 98
The Earthworks being so natural would have to be easy to eq and bring up some of that heft/body the Shure comes with…. With the Shure, you’d probably be doing more trimming/cutting to fit the rest of the music around the drums. Both are awesome though and totally usable. Just pretty different. Ps. If they don’t sound different to you, it’s you/your monitors because they present drastically different pictures.. again, neither bad. But definitely different. Thanks for the review. Learned a lot.
I like the Shure Beta 98s because they have fuller bottom end. I feel like the DM20 on the floor tom is too flat and the sound cuts off where the Beta 98 just keeps going. The boominess of the Beta 98 can be tamed to the desire of the user. The lack of fullness in the DM20 can't be tamed because it is missing the extra boom. Adding the boom when it isn't there probably won't be good on a recording.
98 is not best mic for snare or toms in my opinion. This 98 and dm sounds almost match, but 98 a little bit better (dm more dark in ). I know nothing about brand Earthworks in Russia, there is a single page about the price ion my country: $420 in 2017... of course the Gigant Shure will be preferable. I found a use for 98 as a microphone for brass - much more information with less EQ correction.
By the way, sorry, but Scarlett is good for house project studios, but not for professional setup, so I don't consider the test objective. A microphone for 400 bucks in a card for $250... In the popular RME, the difference will probably be more obvious. Okay, I'm "chasing". The control system is no less important, and I just listened to your film through the MacBook speakers. I am sure that it would be possible to hear more in the monitors.
I swapped all my 6 DM20s now with Beta98 Amp/c . This Shure mic is really great and a much better option for less money than the shitty DM20, which is technically not reliable at all. Especially with the EV DRC-2 rim mount from EV company, a dream.
I have to write a new comment. I am done with Earthworks and the DM20. I have 6 of them. When they arrived 2 years ago, 3 of them were dead already out of the box, there was no sound coming, zero, nada, nothing, I exchanged the 3 damaged to new ones of course. Today, after 2 years of usage my number 4 quit its job, now it's dead too. 4 broken DM20s in 2 years, Even I did NOT hit it with a stick, suddenly it's dead. I guess that is called luck?! I will exchange number 4 during the next days and then I will sell all the DM20 crap. I am looking for a new option now, that's why I came back to this video. EDIT: now my number 5 has an issue aswell, on my 12" tom it creates a rattling noise inside the mic, my tom is not rattling. When I bend the goose neck to the side the rattling noise gets less and when I bend it straight the noise is louder. I am testing some other tom mics now. I bought 1 DPA 4099 Core and 1 Beta 98 amp/c. I like them both and I plan to use the DPA 4099 on my 3 rack toms and the Beta 98 on my 2 floor toms.
